Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 is a remake of the first game in the Neptunia series. Instead of using the original battle system, the game uses Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory as a base. Idea Factory also completely changed the story to make it more comical and switched out characters like NISA for Neptunia V’s cameo characters. In this interview, Siliconera spoke with Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 director Shingo Onodera and Idea Factory International CEO Haru Akenaga about how Re;Birth1 changed.
It has only been a few years since the PS3 game why did Idea Factory remake Hyperdimension Neptunia? Why did you choose the battle system from Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory and why was the Scout System removed?
Shingo Onodera, Director at Idea Factory: The main reason for the change was that after Neptunia V, we heard from many fans that they would love to play the original Neptunia game using the battle system from Neptunia V. Also, we had a handful of staff at Idea Factory who wanted to use Neptunia V’s battle system for Neptunia Re;Birth1. We’re grateful that we have so many hardcore fans of the series, but we know that we weren’t 100% satisfied with the original game’s system and our own development skills at the time, since it was the first game in the series.
The staff who worked on the original Neptunia expressed their desire to revamp the first Neptunia using the skills and knowledge they had gained in creating the first three games in the series. With this strong passion, we decided to implement the latest battle system into the first game. The reason that the Scout System is not included in Neptunia Re;Birth is because we have a new Remake System which is somewhat similar.
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 has a new localization. Can you tell us about the team that localized the Vita game?
Haru Akenaga, CEO of Idea Factory International: Idea Factory International has an experienced translator and editor who are familiar with Japanese RPG titles, and they both enjoy Idea Factory titles as well. We kept the Neptunia terminologies consistent with the original games. The story in Re;Birth1 has been remastered in the Japanese version, so our localization team worked on the new story using familiar terminology in order to keep the world feeling the same.
How has the story changed from the PlayStation 3 game? One example is NISA had a major role in the PlayStation 3 game, but I don’t think the Heroine of Justice is in Re;birth1.
SO: The basic story is the same: Neptune loses her memory, and with the help and guidance of Histoire, she begins a journey around Gamindustri with IF and Compa. However, we’ve renewed the story with feedback from fans and staff. Also, we’ve added more comical elements to the story since the comical touch present in the anime version was very well received.
We have included Vert, Noire, and Blanc in the main story, and as the story progresses, each character can be added to the party, when in the original game these three didn’t have much involvement in the story until the end of the game. This change actually renewed the game as a whole. Also, there are newly added sub-characters who will be involved with these three in order to make them even more irresistible and fun! These new sub-characters are also very charming, so we hope that fans of the Neptunia series will welcome them like goddesses!
We have also included new personalities in the main story who were available as DLC in Neptunia V. The story has been rewritten to be more comical, like the anime. Even with the more comical story, we’ve made sure that the cool scenes are even cooler so that there will be a great mixture of funny and awesome. Finally, a rescue episode for a character has been added to Re;Birth1 as a surprise for fans of the Neptunia series!
Can you tell us some of the jokes that are new for the PlayStation Vita version?
HA: The entire storyline in Neptunia Re;Birth1 has been rewritten to be different from the original game on the PS3, so there will be new jokes and conversations for those who already played the original Neptunia to enjoy!
How much of the voice acting is new? Were you able to get the same voice actors?
HA: Every English voiced line in Re;Birth1 has been freshly recorded, and we are working with the same voice actors who have been in the Neptunia series.
Moving forward, will Idea Factory International bring over the Neptunia games? There are a lot of Neptunia titles to localize too. Are any of the games like Re;birth 2, the SRPG or PlayStation 4 game being considered?
HA: Idea Factory International would like to continue localizing the Neptunia series for many years to come for western Neptunia fans. However, there are no finalized plans for any new titles at this particular moment other than the ones that have already been announced.
